IMHO... when someone like Paul says, "God's spirit is speaking to me", ... the prudent thing to do is become very skeptical.

With all do respect, I have no doubt people conjure things in their minds and think and believe 0they have the holy spirit. Thinking and believing don't make it so.

The human mind is an interesting thing. An example from my realm. My wife was taking chemo, she'd smile and say, your not going to believe what I'm seeing and describe the latest vision of flowers on the ceilings in 3D or whatever it happened to be this time. She'd laugh about it, it was funny to her because the visions were as real as life itself... except she new there weren't any frigging flowers on the ceiling at least in 3D.

Another, my wife woke me and started scolded me for flirting with another woman... whoa I cried, I'm not responsible for what I do in your dreams.

The human mind is capable of getting off the tracks at times and associating those off track moments as reality is nuts.

If I were, I would not believe that Jesus is Who He said He was. But I will never beat you personally over the head with it. But you know were to come if I can ever help.

It seems to me that may be an indicator about this stress question.... I'm happy that LcJ has a faith that he finds value in but in turn, he can't be happy that I find value in not having a faith.

This insight was first made known to me about a year ago when a good friend challenged me about the stress that my lack of belief causes on him and as he put it, it must do also for your family.

Another friend has been forwarding me things to try to rekindle a faith. The last was about the discovery of skeletal remains of giants to prove the veracity of scripture. When I replied with the snopes debunk... his reply, "Man, I hate it when I do that [get caught]."

I know Christ, Jefferson didn't....that gives me the upper hand. Having Faith means believing what God wrote in the Bible. You can't please Him without Faith.

Christ's death and resurrection was hidden from the disciples...to be revealed later.
Their writings, even though written to the Jews living under the Law, were still inspired by God the Holy Spirit.

Under the old testament ecomomy, the Hebrew children received many blessings. When they obeyed He blessed them. When they whored out after false gods, He removed them from the Promised Land.....so, it was a 2 way street. The last time they were kicked off their land was due to their involvement in the death of Christ. "Let His blood be upon us and our children" was what they told Him. Hence they suffered for that move for over 2000 years.

Jewish kosher laws have no effect on the salvation of the Jews today. Abstaining from bacon never got anybody into heaven in this Age of Grace. For the past 2000 years, for Jew and Gentile alike, salvation is based on your Faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

It is amazing that people will base a bigotry on a dubious text of scripture. No scholar believes the writing of Matthew was done by an eye witness of any trial of Christ so words of the crowd could not be first hand so to base a bigotry on such a text is silly beyond comprehension. Scholars are also in general agreement that there was no sermon on the mount... so Matthew takes literary license as it were.... and likely did so again in those words.

It is amazing that people will base a bigotry on a dubious text of scripture. No scholar believes the writing of Matthew was done by an eye witness of any trial of Christ so words of the crowd could not be first hand so to base a bigotry on such a text is silly beyond comprehension. Scholars are also in general agreement that there was no sermon on the mount... so Matthew takes literary license as it were.... and likely did so again in those words.

if that is the case, then what else could be considered "literary license"?
if it's not true then how could one believe anything that is written in the Bible?

if that is the case, then what else could be considered "literary license"?
if it's not true then how could one believe anything that is written in the Bible?

The idea that God wrote the bible is pervasive but untrue. The bible is a collection of literary works that were voted on by a group of Catholic bishops as to whether they were deemed inspired or not. Consequently, it is up to each to discern whether a writing is inspired or not, unless one wants to simply accept the Catholic bishops opinions.

Interestingly, if each of us tried to discern inspired... then we'd be subject to self indulgence as is done by tuning the TV to our favorite news commentaries and getting our perspective reinforced.

The only books of the bible which are accepted as divine by all Jews and all varieties of Christians are the first five books of the Old Testament: the Pentateuch.

But I wonder, wonder, wonder, wonder who -- who wrote the Book Of Love?

I gotta believe it was written in the mentality of living things. I've a Sheltie dog and will swear that this dog grasp the concept of love. She knows how to give it and receive it and I'm betting she doesn't know a lick about any religion.